The present invention relates generally to a novel and improved universal enclosure for use with housing outside plant electrical, telephonic, and other types of telecommunications and other related equipment. More specifically, the invention concerns a unique construction of a universal enclosure having an electrical panel mounted internally of the universal enclosure, but accessible from the exterior of the universal enclosure, thereby facilitating servicing of the equipment while maintaining craft separation.
With the construction of the present invention, an electrician needing to access the electrical panel can do so without entering the interior of the universal enclosure, thereby reducing the chances of accidental damage to or interference with the telecommunications equipment disposed in the interior of the universal enclosure. Also, there is greater work space available to the electrician when accessing the electrical wall wall panel from the exterior of the universal enclosure. Universal enclosures and cross-connect cabinets are well known in the art, and are employed extensively. The universal enclosure encompasses "outside plant," that is outside of a telephone company plant or central office ("C.O."), electronic and other telecommunications equipment necessary for the proper deliverance of the service provided by the telephone company to the subscriber. To do this, the universal enclosure accepts transmission cables, which allow for the transmission of signals from a C.O. to the universal enclosure. Once the signals, such as telephonic communication, and the like, produced by the C.O. reach the universal enclosure, the equipment encompassed therein acts upon the signals, performing a variety of functions. Such equipment may comprise switching equipment, multiplexing equipment, protection blocks for up to 1800 or 2100 derived pair, and other outside plant electronics compatible with digital loop carrier systems, including copper, radio, and fiber fed systems.
The universal enclosures protect the cables and equipment from the effects of the outside environment. To do this effectively, interior environment of the universal enclosures must be strictly monitored and controlled. Typically, the universal enclosures have a sealed ventilation system including air conditioners therein, so as to seal off the internal environment of the universal enclosure from its external environment to assure the effective and proper operation of the cables and the equipment therein. Because the universal enclosure is mounted in the ground, a sump pump is usually included inside the universal enclosure. Also, smoke, as well as toxic and explosive gas alarms monitor the interior environment of the universal enclosures.
The "outside plant" equipment, when taken together with all of the other above-mentioned necessities, is often quite sizeable. Therefore, the universal enclosure must be large enough to house all of the necessary equipment and cables, and to allow a workman access to that equipment and cables for maintenance, replacement or monitoring, and repair. Due to the complexity of the equipment, it is often better to give a workman as much space as possible in which he can complete his tasks. However, the universal enclosures are outside plant devices, and as such, the space available for the universal enclosure, and conjunctively the maximum size of the enclosure itself may be limited.
Universal enclosures of the prior art were able to house all of the necessary "outside plant" equipment. However, the access and work space available to workmen inside the universal enclosures was, in some cases, limited. This is, while some of the equipment was easily accessible, some were not. Specifically, space for access to the electrical service wall panel was sometimes limited. Also, because all of the equipment was housed inside the universal enclosure, an electrician, skilled only in the servicing of some of the pieces of equipment, could easily harm other pieces of equipment accidentally. This could result in significant down time for the equipment in the universal enclosure, and lost revenues to he generating station. Such occurrences can be minimized by limiting access to equipment to various workmen or "craftsmen" in accordance with their skills and responsibilities. This practice is generally referred to as "craft separation."
Accordingly, some alternative construction of a universal enclosure is desired that will provide sufficient work space to each workman, while still maintaining craft separation. The alternative construction could also reduce lost revenues caused by accidental harm to the "outside plant" equipment due to workmen trying their best to perform their tasks effectively in a cramped setting, and without adequate craft separation. The construction of the present invention, as already mentioned, provides the benefits of craft separation, that is disposing different pieces of equipment so that each piece, or family of pieces, is accessed differently (e.g. all telephonic equipment accessible from the interior of the universal enclosure, whereas all electrical equipment accessible only from the exterior, thereby eliminating the need of an electrician to have access to the interior of the universal enclosure). Additionally, the construction of the present invention groups like equipment adjacently, thereby resulting in greater convenience to workmen.